Information bringing people together...
Maren's list of environmental, cultural, and social justice events in and around Pittsburgh.

Nov 28, Dec 3, and Dec 10: Marcellus trainings

In the coming years Exxon Mobil, Range Resources, and others plan to drill tens of thousands more Marcellus Shale wells, threatening our health and environment. That's why they are putting so much energy and resources fighting any policies that will protect us from this dangerous industrial activity. The thousands of drilled Marcellus Shale wells are just the beginning.

PennEnvironment has launched a new project to give Pennsylvanians the tools they need to protect their community.

The plan is simple, but big. We need to train a thousand Pennsylvanians with the skills they need to protect their communities from gas drilling. Whether you're new to activism or been on the front lines of the Marcellus Shale, this training will help you take the fight to the next level.

You'll learn from PennEnvironment staff and other organizers in the area how to effectively engage with decision makers on these issues, generate media coverage, and how to hold your elected officials accountable for their failure to tackle the Marcellus Shale gas drilling issue. And, you'll get to meet more people working on these issues so you can band together to protect your community.

Who is Maren?

Maren Cooke is a planetary scientist by training, but now concentrates on environmental education and activism on climate, air quality, land use, energy, and sustainability. She serves on the board of GASP, and works closely with other organizations including 350 Pgh, CCL, Climate Reality Leadership Corps, Pittsburghers Against Single-Use Plastic, Sierra Club, Grow Pgh, Transition Pgh, the Green Education Movement, CMU’s Institute for Green Science, and the City of Pittsburgh. She volunteers as an Urban Ecosteward, a Tree Tender, and a Master Gardener, and co-founded a nature education program and a school garden at a local K-8. She has helped create science curricula and train teachers, and has taught physics, astronomy, environmental science, and permaculture to people of all ages. She operates an urban microfarm, supplying organic produce to a local restaurant and a food pantry and garden plants to the surrounding community, and has been rebuilding her family’s home as a demonstration site for green building and green living. Maren also organizes and hosts Sustainability Salons, a monthly environmental education forum and community gathering now eight years running.